Blood flower: plant, care & overwinter

The blood flower is a special potted plant for the garden or living room. Read here how to plant and care for them.

Few have a blood flower at home, though the showy, scarlet bloom is a real beauty. How to properly care for the tropical plant and in which places it grows well, you will learn in this article.

Blood flower: flowering time, appearance and characteristics

This is an extraordinary beauty for your garden Scadoxus multiflorus, also called blood flower or fireball lily. Until the late 20th In the 19th century the blood flower was still a member of the blood flower genus (Haemanthus) and was called

Haemanthus multiflorus. Due to an adaptation of the names, however, from today's botanical point of view, it is one of the Scadoxus and belongs to the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) at. The generic name "blood flower" and the trivial plant name "blood flower" can easily be confused.

The perennial, herbaceous plant originally comes from the tropical areas of Africa and the humid parts of the Arabian Peninsula. It is typically found in the shade of large trees or on the banks of a river. The blood flower thrives both in the lowlands and on mountain slopes. It grows on the edge of the forest, in closed tropical forests or, rarely, in open spaces.

The perennial organ of the blood flower is an onion. In spring it begins to develop simply wavy leaves that are around 40 cm long. These converge in a purple spotted pseudo-stem, which is formed by the leaf sheaths. The development of the 60 to 90 cm long inflorescence lasts until flowering in July or the end of August, but can vary from year to year. Usually the blood flower blooms before the leaves are fully developed. The showy pink to scarlet flowers are hermaphroditic and form an umbel. Their stamens are noticeably protruding.

The most beautiful species

There are three subspecies of the blood flower that are very popular for the home garden:

• ‘Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. Katharinae‘: Comes from the south of Africa, grows up to 120 cm high, orange-red flowers only in late summer, false stem often spotted purple, the most commonly cultivated variety of the blood flower.
• ‘Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. longitubus‘: Comes from the tropical deep forests of West Africa, blossoms only in late summer, is rarely cultivated.
• ‘Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. multiflorus‘: Comes from the southern tropics of Africa and the tropical parts of the Arabian Peninsula, fiery red flower.

The three subspecies differ slightly in terms of the structure of the flower.

Planting blood flowers in pots: location, substrate, etc.

The blood flower is ideal to be planted in a pot. In summer it needs a semi-sunny, but bright location. Outside temperatures of at least 15 ° C are a must because of their tropical origin. If you want to keep the blood flower as a houseplant, you should set it up near the window at a sufficient distance from heaters. Long, direct sunlight should be avoided, as this can cause burns to the leaves. If the location is too dark, the blood flower forms elongated, light green shoots in order to gain access to light and to carry out photosynthesis. These are the so-called "Geiltriebe". In summer, the blood flower likes to soak up the sun outdoors, a shady location without direct midday sun is well suited. Since the plant needs warm temperatures, it should not be brought outside from its winter quarters too early.

A suitable substrate is potting soil, which is mixed with sand and gravel in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. A mixture should therefore be used that stores nutrients and water well, but is at the same time water-permeable and well-ventilated. This creates a permanently moist, but never wet, root space. A very slightly acidic potting soil like ours is suitable for this Plantura organic potting soil. By using compost instead of peat, it is more sustainable and can also store water and provide nutrients particularly well. This creates an ideal habitat for the blood flower.

The plant bulbs should be inserted deep enough that the upper part still protrudes about a finger's width and is not covered with soil. Then the onions should be pressed lightly, briefly poured on and brought to their warm, sunny location. After a few days, roots and leaves begin to grow.

Summary: location, substrate and planting of the blood flower

• Semi-sunny, bright location with temperatures above 15 ° C and without direct sunlight.
• Substrate mixture of potting soil, sand and gravel in a ratio of 2: 1: 1 to store water well and avoid waterlogging.
• Let the planting onions stick out of the ground about a finger's width, press them down lightly and water them so that the roots develop.

Care of the blood flower

The blood flower requires little care, provided that its annual rhythm is observed. In summer there is different fertilization and watering than during the cool winter. The change in care is also a prerequisite for reliable flower formation.

Fertilize and water

During the warm season, the root ball of the blood flower should be watered regularly. It is allowed to dry out, but not to dry out completely. If the surface of the soil in the pot is dry, it is time for fresh water. During the leaf-free phase in winter quarters, the root ball should be watered every now and then so that it does not dry out. A finger test to see whether the soil is still moist is a good way of checking.

In addition to regular watering, the blood flower should be fertilized every one to two weeks during the vegetation phase. A liquid ornamental plant fertilizer like ours is suitable for this Plantura organic flowers & balcony fertilizers. It quickly supplies the plant with all the important nutrients and ensures healthy growth. When repotting, however, a fertilizer in granulate form should be used in order to carry out a basic fertilization with a long-term effect. Flower fertilizers like ours Plantura organic flower fertilizer are rich in phosphorus. This is not only absolutely necessary for flower formation, but is also an important part of the plant's energy balance, for example.

Repot blood flower

The blood flower is sensitive to disturbances, which is why it should only be repotted every 2 to 3 years. Narrow planters and only limited space for the roots are not a problem - as long as the nutrient supply is right, the blood flower will still thrive in full splendor. The best time for repotting is spring - between February and April - when the vegetation is still dormant. To do this, the root ball can simply be removed from the old container. Excess soil should be removed before the plant is placed in the new pot. The pot can then be filled again with a loose potting soil, sand and gravel mixture (ratio of 2: 1: 1) so that the upper part of the onion protrudes from the earth with a finger's breadth.

Why isn't my blood flower blooming?

If the blood flower does not produce flowers, stress during the flowering induction phase, i.e. flowering preparation, is the reason. Flowering is only induced if the plant has been able to collect enough energy in its bulb after flowering and if it is sufficiently cool and moist during the winter. If this is not the case, the blooming of the blood flower is not stimulated to protect its reserves and only green leaves appear in the following year to simply ensure the survival of the plant. So it is absolutely necessary to hibernate the blood flower properly.

Hibernate blood flower

Rooms with cool temperatures of 10 to a maximum of 15 ° C are suitable for wintering. When the leaves begin to turn yellow, it's time to stop watering. Since the blood flower loses all of its leaves, it can tolerate being overwintered in completely dark rooms, such as the cellar. The onions remain in the dry to slightly moist soil. During the hibernation, the blood flower should hardly be watered, only the soil should be prevented from drying out. Caution: It must not get too wet. Yellow discolored leaves can be cut off, but they also fall off by themselves after winter. At the beginning of the new growing season in spring, the plant should slowly get used to the warmer temperatures so that it is not stressed. A slightly warmer room is ideal for this. After a few days, it can then be brought back to its normal location.
If the blood flower is cultivated outdoors in a tub, it should move to winter quarters as early as September, as it cannot tolerate frost.

Is the blood flower poisonous?

The blood flower bulbs are poisonous. They contain alkaloids, especially lycorin, in large quantities. When consumed this can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, in higher doses it can even lead to paralysis and circulatory failure.

You have other container plants such as dwarf date palms (Phoenix roebelenii) or fuchsias (Fuchsia) in your garden? Read our special article on the subject Hibernate potted plants.